Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Gout appears to be associated with a higher risk of incident Parkinson’s disease in older adults, according to a study that looked at Medicare data in the U.S. The study, “Gout and the risk of Parkinson’s disease in older adults: a study of U.S. Medicare data” was published…

IRL790, Integrative Research Laboratories‘ investigational treatment for Parkinson’s disease patients, was safe and reduced levodopa-induced dyskinesia, a Phase 1b trial shows. The results were published in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease in the study, “Safety and tolerability of IRL790 in Parkinson’s disease with levodopa-induced…

Arbutin, a natural compound found in plants such as bearberry leaves and pear trees, was able to protect dopaminergic neurons and reduce behavioral deficits and oxidative stress in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. The study, “Arbutin attenuates behavioral impairment and oxidative stress in an…

Parkinson Canada and Brain Canada have recently launched the Canadian Open Parkinson Network (C-OPN), the first platform to include data from people with Parkinson’s disease across the country and facilitate access to researchers studying the disease. Supported by a $2 million grant, the C-OPN will include a…

The significance — physiological and clinical — in the interaction of two proteins known to be associated with early onset Parkinson’s disease, PARKIN and PINK1, is detailed, possibly for a first time, by researchers. Their study, “Phosphorylation of Parkin at serine 65 is essential for its activation in vivo,”…

Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a specific cell death pathway named Parthanatos — after Thanatos, the ancient Greek personification of death — that leads to the physical and intellectual degeneration associated with Parkinson’s disease. They also found that a protein called PARP-1 is a key mediator of cell death via Parthanatos, supporting the…

Engaging in regular exercise can help preserve the motor and non-motor function of Parkinson’s disease patients, most likely as a result of an increased release of dopamine in the brain, a small study suggests. The study, “Habitual Exercisers Versus Sedentary Subjects With Parkinson’s Disease: Multimodal PET…

Rodin Therapeutics will evaluate a new imaging agent that allows the visualization of human synapses — the junctions between two nerve cells that allow them to communicate — in the living brain. Results from the study will guide the company’s upcoming Phase 1b trial of a new therapeutic compound designed to strengthen…

A new transgenic Parkinson’s disease mouse model is able to recapitulate the motor symptoms and biological causes of disease, including alpha-synuclein protein aggregation, a study reports. Similar to Parkinson’s patients, this model also responds to levodopa, one of the main compounds used to treat symptoms of the disease. The study, “Abrogating Native…

One in two women and one in three men older than 45 will develop Parkinson’s disease, dementia or stroke during their lifetime, a new study suggests. Preventive strategies to delay disease onset can reduce this risk by up to half. The study with those findings, “Lifetime risk of common neurological…